Thursday, April 09, 2015

Teenage neighbours who flew to Turkey in bid to join ISIS have been described as 'ordinary Yorkshire lads'

  • Photos reveal 'ordinary lads' Hassan Munshi and Talha Asmal, both 17
  • Imam says Muslims must talk to others who 'might think this is the way'
  • Boys from Dewsbury believed to have fled to Syria via Turkey last week
  • Next-door neighbours were seen 'playing snooker about a week ago'  
Photographs of two teenagers who flew to Turkey in a bid to join ISIS were revealed last night, as a Muslim leader warned they could be followed by friends.

Farouk Younis, the imam of the mosque used by relatives of Hassan Munshi and Talha Asmal, said Muslims must talk to other teenagers who ‘might be looking at them and thinking this is the way’.

The 17-year-olds from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire - billed by their families as two ‘ordinary Yorkshire lads’ - are believed to have travelled to war-torn Syria after going to Turkey on Tuesday last week.

Hassan Munshi
Talha Asmal
'Ordinary Yorkshire lads': Hassan Munshi (left) and Talha Asmal (right), both 17 and from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, are thought to have fled to war-torn Syria after travelling to Turkey on March 31
Mosque: Farouk Younis, the imam of the Masjid e Zakaria (above) in Dewsbury used by relatives of the boys, said Muslims must talk to other teenagers who 'might be looking at them and thinking this is the way'
Mosque: Farouk Younis, the imam of the Masjid e Zakaria (above) in Dewsbury used by relatives of the boys, said Muslims must talk to other teenagers who 'might be looking at them and thinking this is the way'

And Mr Younis told The Times: ‘We need to talk to their friends and show them the barbaric things that are going on there [in Syria] which are totally against Islam.’

The imam of the Masjid e Zakaria in the Savile Town area of Dewsbury added that it was important for the teenagers’ friends to ‘understand the right thing’.

The next-door neighbours are close friends and were seen playing snooker at Dewsbury Snooker Centre about a week ago, acquaintances told the newspaper.

Earlier this week, police said the boys from Dewsbury were last seen by their families on the day they are believed to have flown from Manchester to Dalaman.

West Yorkshire Police said it has been supporting the missing teenagers' families and carrying out extensive inquiries alongside the North East counter-terrorism unit.

Link: Hassan is believed to be related to Hammaad Munshi (pictured) - arrested in 2005 and convicted over his role in a plot to murder non-Muslims
Link: Hassan is believed to be related to Hammaad Munshi (pictured) - arrested in 2005 and convicted over his role in a plot to murder non-Muslims
A statement released on behalf of the two families on Tuesday said they are devastated at what has happened.

It said: ‘Our number one priority is to get Hassan and Talha back home with their families and we implore anyone who may have any information whatsoever to get in contact with the police.

‘Naturally, we are in a state of profound shock and are trying to come to terms with the predicament we find ourselves in and we hope and pray that no other family finds itself in our situation.

‘These were just two ordinary Yorkshire lads who enjoyed the things that all young people enjoy at their age.

‘Both Hassan and Talha had a promising future, as an apprentice and an A-level student respectively, and we are praying they will be back with us soon and are able to realise that future.’

The families have urged parents to be extra vigilant, saying it is ‘near impossible’ to know if children have been groomed and brainwashed.

Hassan is believed to be related to Hammaad Munshi, who was arrested by counter-terrorism police in 2006 at the age of 15 and later convicted over his role in a plot to murder non-Muslims, reported The Times.

The Metropolitan Police believe around 600 Britons have travelled to Syria and Iraq since the conflict began, while around half are believed to have returned to the UK.

Waheed Ahmed was one of five adults and four children being held by Turkish authorities after they were stopped in Hatay last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, teenage girls Shamima Begum, Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana are said to be inside Syria after flying to Turkey in February.

It is understood the Bethnal Green Academy pupils from east London were following another 15-year-old girl who travelled to Syria in December.





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